Material boundaries in ultrasonics: New methods and in vitro studies in biomedical phantoms. Ultrasound is an indispensable part of healthcare worldwide. The next wave of applications will see ultrasound pulses used to closely probe suspected disease sites and to directly manipulate bioactive agents. For safe and effective use of such techniques it is essential to know the ultrasound field at the disease site. This project will develop simulation methods to achieve the fast, accurate and case-sp ....Material boundaries in ultrasonics: New methods and in vitro studies in biomedical phantoms. Ultrasound is an indispensable part of healthcare worldwide. The next wave of applications will see ultrasound pulses used to closely probe suspected disease sites and to directly manipulate bioactive agents. For safe and effective use of such techniques it is essential to know the ultrasound field at the disease site. This project will develop simulation methods to achieve the fast, accurate and case-specific results required. Community healthcare will benefit, through better diagnostic capabilities and customized treatment. Australia is well placed to profit further from this research, in view of the growing worldwide demand for more sophisticated, knowledge-based techniques in medicine.Read moreRead less
The effect of vessel wall structures on ultrasonic flow velocity measurements. The flow velocity within a nearly cylindrical vessel is often measured using an external ultrasound transducer via the Doppler principle. Thick vessel walls may present acoustically mismatched structures. This project aims to determine how such walls redistribute the energy in an interrogating ultrasound beam, and how this in turn affects the measurement of flow velocities. This is a fundamental issue, especially imp ....The effect of vessel wall structures on ultrasonic flow velocity measurements. The flow velocity within a nearly cylindrical vessel is often measured using an external ultrasound transducer via the Doppler principle. Thick vessel walls may present acoustically mismatched structures. This project aims to determine how such walls redistribute the energy in an interrogating ultrasound beam, and how this in turn affects the measurement of flow velocities. This is a fundamental issue, especially important in vascular disease where blood flow and blood vessels are affected by wall irregularities and lesions. The new knowledge generated by this project will have practical importance and, by identifying achievable outcomes, potentially major cost savings, in medical ultrasound.Read moreRead less
Microscopic Origin of the Enhanced Flux Pinning in Nano-Doped MgB2 Superconductors. Magnesium diboride (MgB2) has advantages over other superconductors in terms of high performance and low costs for a wide range of applications, such as superconducting power cables, superconducting magnetic energy-storage devices, transformers, fault current limiters and motors. Besides the apparent economic benefits, the application of superconductivity will significantly reduce the green-house gas emission. Th ....Microscopic Origin of the Enhanced Flux Pinning in Nano-Doped MgB2 Superconductors. Magnesium diboride (MgB2) has advantages over other superconductors in terms of high performance and low costs for a wide range of applications, such as superconducting power cables, superconducting magnetic energy-storage devices, transformers, fault current limiters and motors. Besides the apparent economic benefits, the application of superconductivity will significantly reduce the green-house gas emission. This project will advance the practical applications of MgB2 by understanding the mechanism to improve critical current density.Read moreRead less
Diamond-based Ultra Violet (UV)-emitting devices. The development of UV-emitting solid state devices will enable new applications and drive rapid growth of new industries in particular in health care (sterilisation), microelectronics (lithography) and high-density data storage. With its deep expertise in photonics, Australia is well positioned to become a significant player in these industries. This collaborative project, involving academic and industrial partners, seeks to leverage Australian s ....Diamond-based Ultra Violet (UV)-emitting devices. The development of UV-emitting solid state devices will enable new applications and drive rapid growth of new industries in particular in health care (sterilisation), microelectronics (lithography) and high-density data storage. With its deep expertise in photonics, Australia is well positioned to become a significant player in these industries. This collaborative project, involving academic and industrial partners, seeks to leverage Australian scientific expertise to create new hybrid diamond/nitride structures potentially capable of emitting UV-radiation with high-efficiency and power. The outcomes will help seed new industry and economic growth in Australia.Read moreRead less
High-average-power all-solid-state lasers based on new crystalline Raman materials. We have recently made significant advances in development of all-solid-state intracavity Raman lasers generating multiwatt average powers in the near infrared and (by frequency doubling) visible spectrum, with important applications in biomedicine and remote sensing. A new generation of Raman crystals, especially tungstates, offer superior optical, mechanical and thermal properties, promising high Raman gains and ....High-average-power all-solid-state lasers based on new crystalline Raman materials. We have recently made significant advances in development of all-solid-state intracavity Raman lasers generating multiwatt average powers in the near infrared and (by frequency doubling) visible spectrum, with important applications in biomedicine and remote sensing. A new generation of Raman crystals, especially tungstates, offer superior optical, mechanical and thermal properties, promising high Raman gains and choice of Stokes frequency shift. The project will investigate a range of key issues for these materials including control of the Stokes wavelength, associated polarisation control, and pump-resonator configurations giving maximum Raman laser power and efficiency. The project will lead to state-of-the-art source technology with outstanding prospects for commercialisation and practical application.Read moreRead less
New quantitative methods in X-ray imaging using crystal optics. This project will enhance Australian science's international leadership in the area of x-ray imaging. This powerful type of X-ray imaging, which makes use of optical elements made of perfect crystals, is specially tailored to image samples which are invisible to conventional x-ray techniques. Such "extended x-ray vision" is extremely important for imaging in medicine, biology and materials science. Furthermore, we will train x-ray s ....New quantitative methods in X-ray imaging using crystal optics. This project will enhance Australian science's international leadership in the area of x-ray imaging. This powerful type of X-ray imaging, which makes use of optical elements made of perfect crystals, is specially tailored to image samples which are invisible to conventional x-ray techniques. Such "extended x-ray vision" is extremely important for imaging in medicine, biology and materials science. Furthermore, we will train x-ray scientists of tomorrow, whose expertise will allow Australia to capitalize on its investment in the Australian Synchrotron.Read moreRead less
Fibre Optic Dosimeters for Medical and Environmental Applications. We will develop fibre optic dosimeters for environmental monitoring and radiation therapy. A novel approach using refractive index gradients will be used to capture scintillator light while rejecting noise. New knowledge will be gained of the mechanisms of radiation damage in scintillators and glasses. The small, flexible, accurate fibre optic dosimeters will be equivalent in absorbing characteristics to human tissue, making them ....Fibre Optic Dosimeters for Medical and Environmental Applications. We will develop fibre optic dosimeters for environmental monitoring and radiation therapy. A novel approach using refractive index gradients will be used to capture scintillator light while rejecting noise. New knowledge will be gained of the mechanisms of radiation damage in scintillators and glasses. The small, flexible, accurate fibre optic dosimeters will be equivalent in absorbing characteristics to human tissue, making them superior to all currently available dosimeters. Fibre optic dosimeters will enable new adaptive radiotherapy techniques and provide quality assurance of dose delivery in radiotherapy. Their multiplexing capability will lead to applications in monitoring of workplaces and aerospace environments.Read moreRead less
Radiation protection for space, aviation, and terrestrial applications: the development of novel radiation detectors and computational techniques. Personnel in space, aviation, and terrestrial applications may be exposed to potentially harmful levels of densely ionising radiation. This project will produce improved radiation detectors and computational techniques, addressing needs in the prediction and assessment of equivalent dose in these applications. The "preventative healthcare" priority go ....Radiation protection for space, aviation, and terrestrial applications: the development of novel radiation detectors and computational techniques. Personnel in space, aviation, and terrestrial applications may be exposed to potentially harmful levels of densely ionising radiation. This project will produce improved radiation detectors and computational techniques, addressing needs in the prediction and assessment of equivalent dose in these applications. The "preventative healthcare" priority goal of the National Research Priority "Promoting and Maintaining Good Health" will be addressed, serving to reduce the risk to personnel involved in such activities. This research will also enhance Australia's international reputation in this field, stimulate local expertise, and create a critical mass of researchers in this field. Read moreRead less
Development of innovative radiation detectors and computational techniques for improving quality of life. This project will produce improved radiation detectors and advanced computational techniques, addressing needs in the prediction and assessment of the effects of radiation in homeland security, medicine, aviation and space applications. The 'preventative healthcare' priority goal of the National Research priority 'Promoting and maintaining good health' will be addressed, serving to reduce th ....Development of innovative radiation detectors and computational techniques for improving quality of life. This project will produce improved radiation detectors and advanced computational techniques, addressing needs in the prediction and assessment of the effects of radiation in homeland security, medicine, aviation and space applications. The 'preventative healthcare' priority goal of the National Research priority 'Promoting and maintaining good health' will be addressed, serving to reduce the risk to people involved in such activities. This fundamental research will also enhance Australia's international reputation in this field, stimulate local expertise and create a critical mass of researchers working in this sector.Read moreRead less
Scaling-up microstructured fibres for terahertz radiation. Terahertz radiation is the last region of the electromagnetic spectrum to be fully utilised. Many applications have been identified but their practicality has been limited by a lack of low-loss flexible waveguides. The waveguides to be developed in this project will build on Australia's existing international lead and investments in photonics as well as extend the dynamic field of microstructured optical fibres, indentified as the 'futur ....Scaling-up microstructured fibres for terahertz radiation. Terahertz radiation is the last region of the electromagnetic spectrum to be fully utilised. Many applications have been identified but their practicality has been limited by a lack of low-loss flexible waveguides. The waveguides to be developed in this project will build on Australia's existing international lead and investments in photonics as well as extend the dynamic field of microstructured optical fibres, indentified as the 'future' of optical fibres. Low-loss flexible waveguides will enable imaging and spectroscopy applications that can reveal and object's internal structure and composition. This will have immediate applications in security, quality control, medical imaging and other safety or industrial applications.Read moreRead less